Central lubricating system for roller mill rollers



Sept. 20, 1932. J. cRrrEs 1,877,823

CENTRAL LUBRICATING 'SYSTEM FOR ROLLER HILL ROLLERS I l Filed Feb. e, 1928 4 sheets-sheet 1 Sept. 20, 1932. cm1-ES 4 1,877,823

CENTRAL LUBRICATING SYSTEM FOR ROLLER MILL ROLLERS Filed Feb. 6. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 20, `1932 PATENT onirica .TOE GRITES, F EVANSTON, ILLINOISQASSIGNOR TO THE RAYMOND BROTHERS IM FAUT PULVERIZER 00.-, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS CENTRAL LunnicAriNG SYSTEM son ROLLER MILL Romans Application filed February 6, 192B. Serial No. 252323.

This invention relates to ay new and i1nproved central lubricating system for the bearings of the several rollers o'l pulveri`zing mill of the general type shown, for exmill of this type, a plurality of pulverizing ample, 'in the patent to Raymond 'et al.V

1,573,191, granted February 16, 1926. In a rollers are pivotally suspended in a circular series from a frame or spider which rotates about a vertical axis, the rollers swinging out by centrifugal force against the inner surface of 'a Xed circular bull ring, whereby the material caught between the ring and rollers is pulveriaed. ,Means isprovided for sus- "pending each individual roller from the spider so that it may rotate about its own l axis, and a 'self-contained lubricating systemV is *usually provided for supplyiiig .lubricant to the bearings which rotatably support fthe v rollen ,According to the present invention, means are provided for distributing lubricant from a single `central reservoir (which in the preferred form 'of the inventionis stationary and located outside ot the mill) to the several bearings 'ot each individual roller.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved central lubricating sys tem fora pulverizing mill of this type, as disclosed and claimed hereinafter.

Another object is to provi-'de improved means for distributing lubricant 'from a sta- `tion'ary reservoir `to a plurality of movable oil-distributing conduits, incre particularly to a plurality of 'conduits which rotate about a common axis. y

Another Objectis to provide an improved method 'of lubricating the bearings of the several rollers of fa pulverizing mill of the type referred to herein.

Other objects and 'advantages of this vention will be more apparent from `the tol'ar lowing detailed description 'o'fone approved form of the apparatus.

In the accompanying `drawings Fi l isa central vertical section 'throui h 4the assembled mill and V'lubri'cat-ing `imparatus.

Fig. '2 is a plan view, 'on a larger scale, 'oat the rotating assembly in the vmill, the upper cover of 'the mill land 'the lubricating means being removed, the view being taken substantially onV the line. 2- of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a detail view ofthe Vdistributing means positioned above the spider within the mili, the view being a central vertical section.

Fig. 4 is a view on a larger scale, mostly in central vertical section, of the distributing means outside 'of the mill for delivering oil from the central reservoir to the several distributing conduits. i

Y F ig. 5 is a horizontal section takenlsubstan vtially on the line 5-5 'of Fig. 4. Y

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section, taken substan tially on the line 6 of Figi. l, and looking in the direction oit the arrows. I

7 isa horizontal vs`ect.1`.on.,taken substan tially on the line THT ot Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section through one 'of the pulverizing roller assemblies. .i f

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 9-9 cf Fig. 8. V

The invention is here shown as applied to a roller pulverizing mill 4comprising a base or Vsupporting framework l from which rises a central pedestal 2, in which is journaled the main central ldriven :shaft 3. Shaft 3 is rotated by means of a beve-led gear Ll lined t0 its lower end and meshing with a bevel pinion V5 on 'a drive shaft 6. Mounted on the upper end of shaft 3 is the'spider 7 from which are Vsuspended the pulveri-Zing rollers indi-cated centrifugal force against the fined buil `ring 9, the pulverizing rollers l() rolling along the inner surface "of this bull ring to `pulverize` the materi al which is introduced by any suit-- able feeding means `such fas Il, mounted in the enclosing housing l2. A rotatingskirtfor shield 18 is suspended from `spider ifbetween the rollers and the pedestal 2, Vand a plurality of plows il 'carried `by'this skirt help to feed Figs. 8 and 9 (in connection with Figs. 1 and 2), the spider 7 is formed with a plurality of outwardly projecting yokes 16, each. of which comprises a (pair of parallel arms 17 and 18 in which are-pivotally? mounted the ends of the trunnion shaft 19. The rocker 2O com` prises two split'collars positioned at right. angles to one another, the collar 21 being.

clamped about the trunnion shaft 19 -by means of bolts 22 and the collar 23 being clamped about the upper portion of roller'- supporting shaft 24 by means .of boltsV 25. A key 26 fitting mating grooves or recesses in the collar 23 and shaft 24 prevents relative rotation between the shaft 24 and the rocker 20. A split ring 27 isadapted to fit partially within an annular groove 23 in shaft24,the projecting portion of ring 27 resting against the upper surface'ofv the rocker 20; A collar 29 which surrounds Vtheshaft 24 and issecured to the upper end of rocker 2O by bolts 30, fits overthe projecting portion offring 27y whereby longitudinal movement of shaft 24 through the rocker 2O in either direction is prevented. f

A passage 31 for oil or other lubricant ein tends axially throughout the length' of shaft 24, the upper portion of this passage being enlarged at 32 to form a lubricant reservoir, at the lower end of which is placed the oilscreen 33. The upper end of chamber 32 is closed by the screw plug 34,' in which is placed a smaller plug 35 which maybe removed for theinsertion of lubricant.

An outwardly projecting roller-supporting collar 36 vis formed on shaft 24 at a point intermediate its length, in the Vexample here shown this collar being positioned nearer the lower end of the shaft than theupper end. The pulverizing roller lvl() isfhollowed out at 37 to surround the lower end of shaft 24, and

in this chamber 37 is secured the bushing 38 adapted to rotatably engage the shaft.` An outwardly projecting flange 39at-the upper end of bushing 38 overlaps-the upper surface of roller 10 and is secured thereto by pins 40. The uppersurface of flange 39 is adapted to engage the lower surface of'collar 36, the cavity-37 .within the roller10 extending beneath the lower end of shaft 24 at this vtime Vto vform alubricant receiving well 41. A

screw-plug 42m the bottom of roller 10permits access to well 41 when necessary.

Thesupporting sleeve or housing 43 has an intermediate portion 44 fitting about the shaft 24, from which the skirt 45 projects downwardly in spaced relation to the shaft to provide an annular chamber 46 above the collar 36. The outwardly projecting flange 47 at the bottom of skirt 45 engages the upper surface of pulverizing roller 10 and is secured thereto by means of a series of bolts 48, whereby the roller is rsuspended from the housing 43. A pairv of thrust rings 49 and 50,

.which carry the load, are positioned in the annular chamber 46,4the thrustring 49 being secured` by pins 51 tothe housing 43, and the ring being` secured by pins 52 to the upper surface of collar 36.y

The upper end of sleeve or housing 43 is hollowed out at 53 to receive the bushing sleeve V54 which has an Venlarged head 55 secured to the upper end of sleeve 43 by a series of screw bolts 56. A. sleeve or bushing 57 of Vchromium plated metal'surrounds the shaft engage a packing ring or gasket 62. By ad,-

just-ing the nuts 63 on a series of screw bolts 64,@thegland 61 may be forced down to cX-v pand the packing ring 62 and force same into sealingV engagement with the bushing,r 57 on the non-rotatable shaft 24. The hard metal sleeve 57 protects the shaft 24 from the wear of the gasket 62.V and gland 61. It will be notedv thatthe lower end of sleeve 57 does not projectto the bottom of annular space in. bushingv54,so that an annular-oil collecting chamber remains beneath the Lsealing ring or gasket 62,` this space being connected by a radial passage 65 with the lubricant conduit 31 in the shaft 24.

In operation, the-oil or other lubricant in reservoir 32 and conduit or passage 31 will flow down into the well'41, and thence will work its way up along the bearing surface between bushing 38 and shaft 24. This upward movement of the oil film around the shaft 24 is causedv partly by the pressure of the head ofoil in conduit 31,'partly bythe centrifugal action of the oil in well 41, and is perhaps aided by capillary action. This oil film will travel up around the collar 36 between the thrust rings 49 and 50, and up between shaft 24 and bushing 54 into the oil collecting chamber 60.v lhen the roller is at rest, oil will flow out from central passage 31-through passage 65 to initially lubricate the sealing mea-ns and bushing 54. llVhen the roller is in rota tion and oilr is passing up around shaft24, thefoutward flow ofv oil through passage 65 will be partially counteracted and there will ordinarily be no appreciable movement of oil through this passage. A very small amount of this oil will escape past the sealing gasket 62 and gland 61. The object of this sealing means is to prevent the excessive loss of oil or other lubricant, but it is desirable that there be a slight outflow of oil in order to prevent eXcesisve wear of the gasket and gland and combat the entrance of dust through this joint.

It will be noted that each roller assembly, such as has just been described by way of example, has a selfcontained` lubricating system, carrying its own supply of lubricant,

l which must be replenished by removing the plug 35 and inserting the lubricant while the machine is at rest. The present invention relates to a central lubricating system whereby lubricant may be continuously and automatically distributed to the several roller units of the mill while the mill is in operation, so that the supply `of lubricant in each roller assembly will be automatically replenishcd as it is used. In the form-of the invention here illustrated, a tubular shaft or housing 66 is mounted coaxially with and in vertical extension of the main Vdriven shaft 3, by means of a frame or bracket 67 secured to the upper end of shaft'3. Shaft 66 houses and supports a plurality of tubular oil conduits or pipes 68, one for each of the roller assemblies 8. By means of a suitable lixture 69, horizontal pipe 70, and connections 71, a flexible pipe or conduit 72 is connected with the lower end of each of the vertical conduits 68. The other end of flexible conduit 72 is provided with suitable connections 73 tapped into one side of the reservoir 32 in the upper end of shaft 24.

The upper portion of tubular shaft 66 and the conduits carried thereby extends up through the lower portion of outlet pipe 15, and a sheet metal housing 74 mounted on the bend thereof, and is journaled at 75 in a bearing plate 76 supported at the top of housing 74. An oil reservoir 7 7 is supported by brackets 78 at the top of a sheet metal housing 79 mounted on bearing plate 76 in extension of the housing 74. The oil in reservoir 77 may be replenished through the single supply pipe 80. An oil distributing head 81 is carried by its lower end 82 at the top of tubular shaft 66, and has an upper outwardly flared portion 83 which carries the distributing plate 84. The head 81 is formed with an inner cup-shaped member 85,

between which and the outer walls of the head are formed a plurality of similar oil cups or funnels 86, the lower end of each of which drains at 87 into one of the conduits 68. A bracing and strengthening rod 87 extends centrally through the tubular shaft 66 and is formed with a head 88 at its lower end bearing against the lower end of the tubular shaft and perforated for the passage of the several pipes 68, and a nut 89 is secured `on the upper end of rod 87 within the'cup 85 to hold the assembly lirmly in place. The distributing plate 84 has a downwardly projecting centering stud 90 which lits within the cup 85, and anl outer flange 91 which is secured to the upper outer edge of head 81 by a series of bolts 92. On the upper surface of plate 84 are formed a plurality of concentric circular channels 93 one for each of the cups or chambers 86 and conduits 68. W'here each of these channels 93 passes over an allotted o-ne of the cups 86, the plate 84 is slotted at 94 so that the channelcommunicates with the cup and all oil that collects in the channelwill drain into this particular cup and thence drain into one of thepipes 68. A plurality of drip pipes 95 extend down from reservoir 77, each drip pipe having its lower end proi jecting into an allotted one of the channels 93, as shown in Fig. 4. Since the channels 93 are circular, it will be obvious that the distributing assembly may rotate while the drip pipes 95 remain stationary. The sight oil feeders 96xare adapted topermt a restricted i flow of oil to continuously pass through each of the pipes 95 and drip into one of the grooves 93. This flow is so re` stricted, and the capacity of the grooves 93 is such that the oil delivered into one `of these grooves will flow out through slot 94 into the cup 86 without overflowing the channel 93.

The operation of this system should be apparent from the detailed description which has'been given. VAll that is necessary is to maintain a supply of oil within reservoir 77. This oil will continuously flow through drip pipes 95 into the respective channels 93, and each channel will deliver the oil deposited therein into one of the cups 86 which drains into one of the upright tubular conduits 68. Since each conduit 68 is connected by means of a flexible conduit 72 with one of the roller assemblies, the oil will be delivered to the reservoir 32 within the roller-supporting shaft 24, and thence flow between the bearing surfaces as already described.

I claim:

1. In a pulverizing mill, the combination with a frame rotating about a vertical axis, a bull-ring, a plurality of pulverizing rollers suspended from said frame so that they` may swing out by centrifugal force against the bull-ring, means comprising a plurality of bearings for rotatably supporting each roller from the frame, and a mill housing enclosing all of these parts, of a tubular shaft secured to the frame and extending upwardly through the top of the housing in line with the axis of rotation of the frame, a plurality of conduits in the tubular shaft, one for each roller, a flexible conduit leading from each of the last mentionedn conduits to the bearings of one Vof the rollers, a stationary reser- Voir positioned outside the housing. for hold# ing a Supply of lubricant,"-and means also rlgoutside the housingfor automatically dis- "tributing oil from the reservoir to each of the conduits in the tubular shaft. Y

2. In a pulverizing mill, the combination With a frame rotating about a vertical axis, ln) a bullring, a plurality ofrpulyerizing rollers suspended from said frameso that they may swing out by centrifugal force against the bull-ring, means comprising a plurality of A p bearings for rotatably supporting each rollerk from the frame, and a mill housingenclosing`y all of these parts, of a. tubular shaftsecured to the frame and extending upwardly ythrough the top of the housing in Aline With K the axis of rotation of the frame, ahplurality of conduits in the tubular shaft, one for each roller, a flexible conduit leading from each of the lastvmentioned conduits to the Abearings of one of the rollers, a stationary `reservoir K positioned outside the housing for holding a supply of lubricant, a head mounted at the top of the tubular shaft and containingl a plurality of chambers, one chamber draining into each conduit inthe shaft, aY-distrbuting plate on the head formed With'a plurality of concentric circular channels, one

for each chamber and each channel having an opening for draining into itsr particular chamber, and a plurality of drip pipes one' for each channel leading from* the reservoir,

" each pipe positionedV to drain into its cha`nnel.

J OE, ACKRQI'IES. 

